**10,000 Fans Incentive Program Stuek, a professor in the Department of American History, sorted out the various labels that Americans had for the Korean War, let's take a look at what Americans said about the war.
Forgotten Victory" – Although the Korean War has been gradually forgotten in the course of history, this does not mean that the American victory in this war is also forgotten.
Countless valiant American soldiers gave their lives in this war, and their efforts and sacrifices should be remembered forever. Therefore, this war should be called a "forgotten victory", a reminder not to forget this important historical moment.
On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in Panmunjom, and the war ended in the victory of China and North Korea, and the American team had to put aside their usual arrogant attitude.
In order to commemorate the heroic War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, China began the construction of the Memorial Hall on Yinghua Mountain in Dandong, Liaoning Province, five years after the signing of the armistice agreement, in 1958.
As early as 1951, ** had already set October 25 as the anniversary of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, so that all the sons and daughters of China would remember this extraordinary war.
Compared with the high enthusiasm of our country, the United States is much more indifferent. After the end of the war, Americans seemed to want this history to be forgotten, and everyone chose to remain silent, both official and private.
The fact that the United States** commemorated the day of the Korean Armistice Agreement for 40 years is enough to show the seriousness and thoughtfulness of the official response to this matter. As a result, there are relatively few literary and cinematic works about the Korean War in the United States.
The shelves of books on the Civil War in bookstores are more numerous in World War I and World War II, and books on the Vietnam War also occupy a large part, but books about the Korean War are hard to find.
The Korean War is an important historical event, but compared to other wars, there are relatively few related film and television works. According to Paul Russell, a historian of the war, the Korean War produced little literature.
It is often said that "the United States lost the war and lost its dignity" about the Korean War, yet one critic once argued that Korean War literature was not important in terms of quantity and quality.
Why, then, did the Americans have a negative attitude towards this war?
Although the Vietnam War was fought for 10 years, the United States did not make substantial progress or victory, but paid more than 350,000 **. There are two common views in the United States on this issue.
First of all, the United States calls itself the "world's policeman" and habitually interferes in the internal affairs of other countries. For example, the Korean War lasted only three years, from June 1950 to July 1953.
After World War II, the United States won the Korean War, but it was not as influential as World War II, and it did not last as long as the Vietnam War. As a result, many people are not impressed by the Korean War and often choose to ignore it.
Second, the U.S. initially positioned the Korean War not as a conventional war, but as a "police operation." The reason why the United States has adopted this method is to avoid interference by Congress and to make it easier to act.
However, the "police operation" is not an act to be proud of, and US officials should be clear that this is interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The end of the Korean War marked the signing of an armistice between the two sides, and the United States, known as the world's most powerful military power, was defeated by China and North Korea.
The Korean War, whether it began or ended, was not something for Americans to be proud of. Naturally, Americans are reluctant to make this public"Awkward"things.
In addition, the operation of the United States ** is also one of the reasons why they forgot about North Korea. On July 26, 1953, after the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, Eisenhower, then the United States, made a nationally televised speech.
He made a deep point: "Although we have reached an armistice on the battlefield, this does not mean that world peace has arrived. We cannot afford to take it lightly, nor can we cease our fervent hope for peace. ”
In fact, Eisenhower's so-called "pursuit of peace" was just a cover for him, and his real purpose was to find a legitimate reason for the presence of US troops in South Korea.
U.S. Secretary of State Dulles put it more thoroughly: "An armistice agreement does not ensure peace, so we should not take it lightly and should not reduce our military presence in South Korea unless something happens in the future that justifies it." ”
Both of them embraced the "doctrine of collective security" and tried to portray the end of the Korean War as a victory for the principle of collective security.
As soon as Eisenhower took office, he regarded collective security as the core of American policy, and the outcome of the Korean War was in line with American expectations, because it strengthened American protection of the Far East and promoted collective security.
Although Eisenhower and Dulles emphasized the United States' intentions to maintain world peace in the Korean War and their vision for the future, they chose to avoid talking about the defeat and cost of the war.
The American people were led astray and the war was forgotten, which is not only the first to forget the Korean War, but also the military's intentional guidance. And in fact, the Korean War was not easy for the United States, not only a large number of personnel **, but also a large number of soldiers became prisoners.
After many negotiations, although they were obstructed by Syngman Rhee's clique, an agreement was finally reached and the prisoners of war were successfully repatriated.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, nearly 30 percent of U.S. POWs did not return to the United States, although most of them successfully returned home. It is worth mentioning that in September 1953, when the two sides exchanged prisoners of war on a large scale, 23 American prisoners of war chose to live in China, and only 2 of them were successfully persuaded by their families to return to the United States, and finally 21 resolutely stayed in China.
The choice and persistence of these prisoners of war undoubtedly reveal another side of this history for us.
The 21 prisoners were regarded as "traitors" in the eyes of the United States, but the focus of the issue was not limited to the battlefield, and the issue of prisoners of war attracted widespread attention from the American public and experts, and from 1953 to 1965, it occupied a lot of discussion.
During the Korean War, the United States** and the military conducted strict vetting of returning POWs. These prisoners of war were characterized as:"Treason with the enemy"and the American public was restricted from participating in discussions about prisoners of war in the Korean War.
This raises the question: why did the US military behave so weakly in the Korean War? Why would anyone"Betrayal"United States? All of this is closely related to the broader context of the Cold War.
A large part of the collapse of faith among American soldiers is due to the problems of the United States itself. The problems within American society, including the shortcomings of the people's character, culture, and education system, make the American soldiers appear timid and fearful in the face of great pressure, lack sufficient faith support, and therefore abandon their faith in the American system.
Mel experts point out that American POWs turned to communism in part because they pursued an excessive sense of material superiority.
When the right to enjoy superiority is denied, the inner sense of insecurity becomes strong, making it difficult to hold on to the faith. In the defeat of the Korean War, the weakness of the soldiers was considered one of the main reasons by the American people, which undoubtedly made people lose confidence in the United States.
Although the United States and the military constantly emphasize the justice of this war, a large number of prisoners of war chose not to return home, which proves the injustice of this war from another angle.
The United States and the military tried to portray the all-powerful heroic image of American soldiers, but the performance of prisoners of war formed a strong contrast with them, which shocked American society.
This kind of disappointment with the United States may shake the people's faith and stance on the United States, and may even affect the position of the United States in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Therefore, the United States** and the military hope to mitigate this adverse effect by downplaying or erasing the traces of the Korean War in history.
The wheels of history roll forward, and no matter how much we forget, the historical traces of the Korean War remain. Using history as a mirror, we can see the rise and fall of history clearly, face history squarely, and face history in order to create a better future.